Berlin 2014 – scientific programme

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 1: Ultra-cold atoms, ions and BEC I (with Q)

A 1.7: Talk

Monday, March 17, 2014, 12:00–12:15, BEBEL E34

Dysprosium atoms in an optical dipole trap — •Holger Kadau, Thomas Maier, Matthias Schmitt, Axel Griesmaier, and Tilman Pfau — 5. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany

Strongly dipolar quantum gases enable the observation of many-body phenomena with anisotropic, long-range interaction. Rotonic features, 2D stable solitons and the supersolid state are some of the exotic many-body phenomena predicted for dipolar quantum gases. The element with the strongest magnetic dipole moment is Dysprosium. It is a rare-earth element with a complex energy level structure and several possible cooling transitions. We have prepared samples of dysprosium atoms at ∼ 10  µ K in a magneto-optical trap by laser cooling on a narrow transition at 626   nm. We load several million atoms into an optical dipole trap and transport them to a glass cell with high optical access.

The next goals are evaporative cooling in a crossed optical dipole trap to quantum degeneracy and implementing a high resolution imaging system with the possibility to create nearly arbitrary time-averaged potentials.